Yes, it is turn-based, but believe me, it just doesn't matter. It's so fast-paced you'll find yourself hitting the control key and reaching for the mouse so many times it's almost embarrassing. If I could think of a more superlative word than brilliant, I'd stick it right here...

As a whole, I found Incubation to be a lot of fun. The 3-D graphics make it unusually exciting for a turn based game, and the levels and Intricate strategy kept me coming back for more. On the downside, Incubation does have a fairly limited equipment selection, and, as a little peeve of mine, refused to run unless I did the maximum installation, which gobbled upwards of 110 megabytes. If you're looking for the most engaging turn-based strategy game to come along in a long time, Incubation is it.

Incubation is one of those games that I had heard about and seen ad banners for, but really had no knowledge of what it was even about. The first time I booted it up, I was floored. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t the beautiful, involving game I saw. It would be unfair to say that Incubation is more style than substance, because in many ways the game’s style is a great part of that substance. Blue Byte’s latest redefines the squad-level combat genre. We’ve seen how good a turn-based strategy game can look, and how easy it can be to control, and other games had better start following suit. Despite its shortcomings, Incubation is a gem. I highly recommend it to anyone who has even the slightest interest in turn-based tactical combat, especially if you own a 3Dfx card!

Is it turn-based? Yes. Is it tactical? Yes. Is it terrifying? No. But it is a fun breath of difference in a 3D shooter and real-time world. Interested parties should try the demo for themselves. The bad news is that it isn't quite the complex arch-masterpiece to one-up the original X-Com. The good news is that this is Blue Byte, a company with a proven track record for doing sequels and producing successively better versions of their popular games. This is very promising indeed.

Although not without flaws, such as the somewhat chesslike tactical combat system, INCUBATION is a nice change of pace from the frantic mouse-clicking of the C&C set. The story works fairly well and keeps your interest, though it will never be mistaken for great literature. The voice-overs and character advancement give each marine a personality, though not to the level of detail of, say, JAGGED ALLIANCE. If your hands are getting sore from all the mousing around in the real-time games, check out INCUBATION.

70

Computer Games Magazine

Incubation is rather like that dear friend who has one single personality trait that drives you absolutely crazy; it does almost everything very well, even brilliantly, but one aspect of gameplay - namely, the reliance on puzzle-missions over real strategy settings in single player mode - will be loathed by some. On the other hand, if you don't mind puzzles in your strategy games, or if you'll be primarily playing multiplayer, the game can't be recommended highly enough - your estimation will hinge on the kind of gamer you are.

66

GameSpot

Incubation looks and sounds outstanding, and it controls well. The small-scale, tactical-level combat demands that every soldier play an important role. But in spite of its many skin-deep strengths, Incubation nonetheless stumbles in those same areas that bog down so many other strategy games: The computer opponent is a pushover, gameplay lacks depth, and the campaign is not satisfying. What could well have been an entirely successful departure from the droves of underdeveloped strategy games saturating the market instead feels all too familiar despite its striking aesthetic differences.